Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Making public policy
characterised by vigorous – and often acrimonious – debate about the limitations
of certain models.
Until the late 1950s, policy making was predominantly portrayed as a process
of rational analysis culminating in a value-maximising decision. However,
American political scientist Charles Lindblom (1917–2018) regarded the rational
policy process as an unattainable ideal and proposed an alternative model,
incrementalism, which focused less on abstract policy ideals and placed greater
emphasis on solving concrete problems. 18 Often described as ‘muddling through’,
incrementalism describes an iterative process of building on past policies and
reaching broadly agreed positions among diverse stakeholders. 19 Incrementalism
offers a plausible account of the policy-making process. In particular, Lindblom’s
emphasis on ‘trial and error’ would resonate with many contemporary public
servants. 20
The ‘Australian policy cycle’
Originally developed 20 years ago specifically for an Australian practitioner
audience, the ‘Australian policy cycle’ is an enduring – if somewhat idealistic –
model of the policy development process. The model is a signature feature of The
Australian policy handbook, first published in 1998. Published in its 6th edition in
2018 and billed as a ‘practical guide to the policy making process’, the handbook has
been described as a ‘popular “go to” policy survival manual for public servants’. 21
Whereas theoretical models of the policy process seek explanations through
investigations of institutional, political, organisational and cultural factors that
shapethepolicyenvironment,the‘Australianpolicycycle’ismoreofa‘howto’
guide and presents policy making as a sequence of practical actions. It is intended
as ‘a pragmatic guide for the bewildered’; the handbook’s authors assert that ‘good
policy should include the basic elements of the cycle’. 22 The strength of the model
is its practical approach, which captures the entirety of policy development and
implementation, although it does not supply causal explanations of policy.
A policy cycle approach can help public servants develop a policy and guide
it through the institutions of government. The policy cycle starts with a problem,
seeks evidence, tests proposals and puts recommendations before Cabinet. Its
outcomes are subject to evaluation and the cycle begins again. The policy cycle
offers a modest and flexible framework for policy makers. 23
18 Lindblom 2018.
19 Cairney 2015, 17.
20 Cairney 2015, 31.
21 Althaus, Bridgman and Davis 2018.
22 Althaus, Bridgman and Davis 2018, 45.
23 Bridgman and Davis 2003, 102.
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